This April, SUNY Broome welcomes the U.S. Karagöz Theatre Company to our campus. Its founder, Ayhan Hulagu, will perform “The Forest of the Witch,” at the Angelo Zuccolo Little Theater on April 20, from 1-2. There will be time for questions from the audience after the performance. The event, performed in the traditional shadow puppet theatre style of Karagöz Theater, is free, suitable for all ages, and open to the public. There will also be a Karagöz workshop on April 19, 1-3 pm, for interested students. Participants will learn more about Karagöz as an art form and work directly with Hulagu in a small group setting.
Karagöz shadow puppet theater dates back 700 years. In 2009, this art form was inscribed on the UNESCO representative list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity for Turkiye. The traditional theatre strengthens a sense of cultural identity while bringing people closer together through entertainment. A Karagöz play incorporates singing, music, poetry, myth, tongue-twisters, and riddles. Karagöz plays are usually humorous, and feature the main characters Karagöz and Hacivat. They are often compared to Punch-and-Judy-type folkloric puppet shows.
While Karagoz is a popular and widely recognized character in Turkiye, it is also widely known in Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as part of the Ottoman legacy throughout the region. In Greece, Karagöz is known by his local name Karagiozis; in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he is known by his local name Karađoz. The stories shared though this art form are usually examples of morality tales, and life’s lessons, simplified.
The US Karagöz Theatre Company has performed on Broadway, and at numerous universities and various international festivals in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The SUNY Broome production follows a production at Cornell University scheduled on April 17th. Hulagu’s interpretation and presentation of Karagöz features a blending of popular characters from other traditions and popular culture. His work has been featured on Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage’s Magazine.
This event is sponsored by the Division of Liberal Arts, and funded through a grant from the Center for Middle East and North Africa Students at Binghamton University. Broome Community College, along with the American Civic Association and SUNY Purchase, are partnered with Binghamton University in a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Title VI National Resource Centers Program. The purpose of this grant and SUNY Broome’s partnership is to promote scholarship and learning related to Middle East and North Africa. The U.S. Karagöz Theatre Company’s visit is the second event on Broome Community College’s campus that stems from this collaboration with Binghamton University. On March 14, an exhibit at The Gallery@SUNY Broome “Life’s Mosaic: Art, Diversity, and Culture of the Middle East and Beyond” opened in the library.
This exhibit will remain open until April 14.
Students interested in signing up for the free workshop on April 19 should contact Lynda Carroll at CarrollLA1@sunybroome.edu or Antonia Stamos at StamosA@sunybroome.edu for more information and to register.
This workshop is open to both Broome and Binghamton University students, and invited members of the community. Spaces are limited.
Parking for both events is free.
Submitted by: Lynda Carroll
Tags: Performing and Fine Arts
